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North Korean Women's Team Plays in South Korea Amid Tensions

5/4/2026

31 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Naegohyang Women’s FC will be the first North Korean women’s football team to play in South Korea since 2014, arriving with a 39-person delegation on 17 May.
President Lee Jae Myung is overseeing the AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal in Suwon amid strained inter-Korean relations.
South Korea’s presidential office welcomes the team and will cooperate with the AFC, while North Korea labels the two Koreas hostile despite the 11th-world ranking.

History

Historical Context

In February 2018, President Moon Jae-in opened the Pyeongchang Winter Games and welcomed 22 North Korean athletes, later forming a unified women’s ice-hockey squad of 35 players—a rare diplomatic gesture. The 2024 AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal in Suwon, hosted by South Korea’s presidential office for Naegohyang Women’s FC, revives that sports-driven dialogue between the two Koreas.

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Story summary

Naegohyang Women’s FC will be the first North Korean women’s football team to play in South Korea since 2014, arriving with a 39-person delegation on 17 May.
President Lee Jae Myung is overseeing the AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal in Suwon amid strained inter-Korean relations.
South Korea’s presidential office welcomes the team and will cooperate with the AFC, while North Korea labels the two Koreas hostile despite the 11th-world ranking.

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